ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Do you recognize this woman? That's the question a South County viewer asked 5 On Your Side after finding the woman's photo albums in the trash.
As a veteran, Marcus Row has a motto he likes to live by.
“I feel like you need to do one good deed every day,” said Marcus Row.
On a recent stop at an Oakville gas station, Row admits he got more than he bargained for.
“It was odd finding photo albums in a gas station trash can, and this is kind of a sign for me to do my good deed,” said Row. “This has to get back to the person that owns them. Somebody wants these.”
Flipping through the albums he discovered they belong to a woman named Betty Lloyd.
“This person appears to be a senior, which makes it a little harder to find on social media,” said Row. “I’ve gone to the police station to try and track them down. I’ve gone to the tax assessors to find out where they live, and so far I haven’t found anything that can identify where she’s at.”
After Row turned to 5 On Your Side for help, we went to an old address for Betty Lloyd
Though I didn’t find Betty, neighbors sent me to Ziegenhein Funeral Home.
Lloyd not only worked at Ziegenhein, but it’s also where she was laid to rest in 2021.
With the help of Ziegenhein, 5 On Your Side was able to connect with Jill Rechtein, who served as Lloyd’s power of attorney.
“I miss her every day,” said Rechtein. “I think she’s probably cheering right now in heaven that these are here, and we have them.”
Though it's still not clear how the albums ended up in the trash, Rechtein sees a silver lining in the incident.
"How wonderful for someone to go to all of this trouble to try and find the owner of these pictures,” said Rechtein.
As Row and Rechtein sat together flipping through the memories, she repeatedly thanked him for returning a piece of her heart.
"I still can't believe it,” said Rechtein. “I can't believe there are still good people out there that would do something like this."
"I hope it doesn't end up in the trash again,” said Row.
"Never,” said Row.